Kapyong claim is about justice for Métis

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 05/11/2019 (1879 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In his Oct. 27 opinion piece headlined “Métis claim against Kapyong illegitimate,” columnist Tom Brodbeck wrongly claims that the Supreme Court of Canada’s 2013 decision in Manitoba Metis Federation v. Canada entitles our people to no reconciliation.

It is worth noting that Brodbeck is not a lawyer. Nor is he an authority in the area of Aboriginal law. Moreover, no reasonable person could read the Supreme Court’s 100-plus page decision and come to the conclusion it required no action.

Our land-claim case was about the fundamental compact that created this great province. In 1870, our people were promised 1.4 million acres of land in the heart of our homeland to sustain our language, culture and nation for generations to come.

Canada breached its own Constitution by failing to fulfil this promise to our people. The highest court of the land went on to say: “So long as the constitutional grievance at issue here remains outstanding, the goals of reconciliation and constitutional harmony remain unachieved.”

The MMF’s Kapyong lawsuit is to ensure the Métis will no longer be forgotten or ignored, that our voice will be heard, our rights recognized and this outstanding constitutional grievance resolved.

Despite the excellent work done by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government over the past four years, there is much still to be done. It’s unfortunate that the colonial mindset remains alive, strong and buried deep within the bureaucracies of the Department of National Defence and the Department of Justice. These two departments led the legal fight against Treaty 1 First Nations over the Kapyong Barracks in the first place.

These same departments are apparently prepared to repeat this story with the Métis. There is no assurance that the Department of Justice has changed its ways to meet the government’s goal of reconciliation.

The Métis have long awaited justice. The land promise made to the Métis, a promise not kept, was made before the signing of Treaty 1. As Niigaan Sinclair wrote earlier in his Winnipeg Free Press article, “the theft and denial of Métis lands is arguably the largest black mark on Manitoba history.”

It is time we rolled up our sleeves and worked together to repair the damage left by that black mark. This is not to whitewash our past, but to renew our partnership in confederation.

Canada has started along the path of reconciliation leading to benefits for all of Canada. Along the path, together, the First Nations and the Métis Nation will resolve these issues as Indigenous Peoples and as Indigenous governments. Our unity comes from our histories, our connections and the treaties between us that go back well over two centuries and long before Canada entered into our traditional territories.

David Chartrand is president of the Manitoba Metis Federation.